


An Angel Shot with Lime

by AboutTheMountains



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Inspired By Tumblr, MariBat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AboutTheMountains/pseuds/AboutTheMountains
Summary: This is a small story following jinx-jade on tumblr’s post called “Angel with Blue Eyes,” about Damian working at a bar and Marinette walks in an orders an “Angel shot with lime,” which means to call the police. Damian does, and when they arrive Mari collapses. When the hospital pulls up her medical files, they find out she’s been missing for 8 years, presumed dead.
Comments: 54
Kudos: 302





	1. Found

After the ambulance drove away, Damian quickly cleaned the bar and turned in his key to his boss. He headed to the manor with every intention of forgetting the woman, but he couldn’t help but think of the way she drew all the attention in the room. Or the way she seemed perfectly fine until the police arrived. Or how she was covered in scars and open wounds. 

It was infuriating. 

Damian didn’t understand why his brain seemed so infatuated with this one woman. When he reached the manor, he was pretty much ready to stab someone (Jason, most likely). 

When he walked in the door, Alfred and Dick were standing there to welcome him. 

“So how’d the last day go, little D?” 

Damian stormed past the two and walked in the direction of his room. “Annoying, unless you count the woman who fainted and had to be taken to the hospital.” 

“What?” He heard footsteps behind him. 

“Tt.” 

“Damian, that’s not an answer! What did you do?” 

He continued to walk. “I didn’t do anything. She came in, ordered an angel shot with lime, and passed out. She was taken by an ambulance. I closed the bar for the night since everyone left when the police got there.” He finally reached his room, walked in, and closed it before Dick could enter. 

Dick just stood there for a second staring at the door in his face, before spinning on his heel and heading towards where he saw Tim last. 

He finally found Tim, who seemed shocked at whatever he was looking at on his laptop. “Hey baby bird, what’s got you so spooked?” 

The younger boy’s wide eyes peeled off the screen and met Dick’s worried ones. “They found her.” 

Dick’s eyebrows furrowed and he walked around to see the laptop screen better. “Found who?” 

Tim pointed to the screen. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

...

When Marinette was 13 years old, Hawkmoth was defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir. A month later, she went missing. 

All that the public knows is that one day she was leaving her house for school, and never made it, despite her living across the street from it. 

What the public doesn’t know, is that Marinette was Ladybug. After defeating Hawkmoth, she put the ladybug miraculous in the Miracle Box and decided to keep it hidden in a secret compartment in her room. She was heading to school one day, when an old van pulled up full of people, opened the back door, knocked Mari out, and then took her away. They unfortunately used magic to stay undetected by any cameras or witnesses. 

Who are “they?” 

The Order of the Miraculous. 

You see, when The Order was brought back by the miraculous cure, they took a while to get their bearings and realize what had happened. Once they realized it, they knew they needed to find the Guardian and bring them to the temple. 

The only problem? 

Fu was no longer the Guardian. 

So they followed the Guardian’s energy signature to Paris, where they found this tiny girl on her way to school. The monks (or whatever they are idk, for now we’re calling them monks) were like “this is unbelievable” and decided to just take her. 

So now Marinette Dupain-Cheng is no longer in Paris, no longer with her friends or family, and no longer guarding the Miracle Box. 

All three things she didn’t want to be doing at the moment. 

Now you have to remember, Marinette is 13. She was a hero, yes, but she’s still a young girl with absolutely no experience with whatever this is (although, to be fair, they dont exactly cover monk-kidnappings in school). 

So Mari wakes up in a temple, surrounded by old men who look very disgusted and annoyed with her. She promptly freaks the heck out. 

And look, these monks have been dead for a while. They have traditions they dont want to break. The fact that this not-even-an-adult girl is the Guardian of the Miraculous is leaving them a bit miffed. 

They dont really respond well to Mari’s freaking out, and they go straight into interrogation mode, which makes Mari freak out more. Plus there’s also the fact they’re probably not speaking French, and Mari only just had the Guardian language implanted into her brain, so she’s very confused and overwhelmed. 

It takes an hour, but finally they all quiet down enough to get some answers. Mari learns that she’s in the Temple for the Miraculous, and the monks learn they’ve been dead for years. They also learn how she acquired the Miraculous. 

They’re less than pleased. 

I’m not going to go into many details, but lets start by saying that Mari is absolutely infuriated with the nerve of these monks who just grabbed her off the street with no warning and no goodbye to her parents. 

The monks ask her for the Miracle Box and she declines. They tell her that until she tells them where it is, she’s never going to leave the Temple. 

Internally, she’s screaming and crying because she’s only 13 and she’s just been unwillingly taken from her home and told that she’s not allowed to leave until she gives them what she’s supposed to protect. On the outside she just glares at them. 

She’s against them keeping her from contacting anyone to tell them she’s ok. That never goes away, no matter how long it’s been. But at first, she was willing to let them teach her the ways of being a Guardian. 

But then the lessons follow less and less of her morals. And they punish her if she does even a little thing wrong. She’s being treated like an unfortunate annoyance instead of an ally, and it’s frustrating. 

Then they reach the one year mark and she’s had enough. She tries to escape. 

But they dont let her get very far because there’s magic surrounding the area, so they know the second she passed the border. 

Let’s just say they dont let her off lightly. 

The next month is filled with failed escape plans. 

Her back is filled with new scars. 

She’s filled with rage. 

Mari never loses hope, but she does stray a little from her morals a little every day. 

Over the months, she bides her time and plans. She takes what the monks teach her and secretly practice in her room. 

By the second year, the monks are done with her stubbornness and ask to have the Miracle Box. 

Marinette says no. 

The monks don’t like that. 

She goes three days without any human contact or food. She spends her time locked in her room practicing magic she hopes to use to escape one day. 

Marinette is taught magic. She is taught how to fight. She is taught many languages. She is taught to protect the miraculous. 

At year five they make her dual a younger monk. She wins, but he loses a leg. Mari won, but she also lost. 

At year seven she’s almost ready to leave. Her magic is almost powerful enough to fight off all the monks and win. All she needs to do is learn to teleport. 

She finally learns how at year eight. 

By this point all the monks assume she’s accepted that she wont leave until she tells them where the Miracle Box is. For all they claim to be smart, they don’t have much to show for it. Mari returned to her room for the night after dueling seventeen monks at once, when she enacts her plan. The duel left her a little more battered and more tired than she would willingly admit, but she needed to get out before the monks discover her plan. 

So she uses all the energy she can muster and opens a portal to the opposite side of the world, and falls through. 

Like, literally falls. 

She underestimated how tired she was. If teleporting small jumps took a little energy, she should have known that large jumps take pretty much all the energy she has. Fortunately, she makes it through the portal before it snaps shut. She falls onto a trash bag that’s leaning against a dumpster and just lays there for a few minutes. She has no idea where she landed, except that it’s not the Temple. 

After resting for a few seconds, she stands on wobbly feet and looks around to try and figure out where she was. 

First conclusion: she’s in an alleyway.

Second conclusion: she sure as hell isn’t in Paris unless it’s changed it’s aesthetic in the last eight years, 

The third conclusion that she makes is that it is very chilly wherever she is, and she’s only in a too small tank top and shorts that are barely hugging her waist from all the malnourishment. She looks around the alleyway and finds a trash bag that’s open a little, exposing something soft looking. She slowly walks over to it and pulls out the fabric to find a very big, slightly stained jacket that looks like it’s seen better days. Oh well, better than nothing. 

So Mari slings on the jacket and tries to make her way out of the alleyway. She makes it to the end before she almost collapses. She lowers herself to her knees and breathes for a few seconds. She allows herself to look around at all the lights and stores that she hasn’t seen in eight years. The sun was going down, so there wasn’t many people out. Must be one of those cities where it’s dangerous to be out after a certain time. She better get somewhere safe then. 

Her eyes pass over all the signs while her brain tries to unscramble the words. She has spent the last eight years only speaking and hearing the guardian language, so it takes a few minutes for her brain to comprehend English. While the monks trained her in other languages, the lessons were mostly in the first four years, and then the last four years had been scarce review sessions. 

Once her brain catches up, her eyes catch a sign that says it’s a bar. She racks her brain for why that’s important. A memory shoots through her head quickly, and she scrambles for the comfort that follows. 

A soothing voice says, “if you’re ever in trouble, you can just go to a bar and ask for a neat angel shot. The bartender will escort you to your car. If you order an angel shot over ice, they’ll call you a cab. If you ask for an angel shot with lime, they’ll call the police. Got it?” 

Her own voice echoed in her mind. “Yes, Maman.” 

“Mom,” She whispered. 

She focused on the bar, and then pushed herself up. Channeling confidence (and maybe a little bit of magic to fill her with adrenaline), she walked over to the bar and opened the door. She was very tired, but tried to mask it before she gave into it and passed out on the floor. 

Marinette made her way over to the bartender and sat on a stool. “An angel shot with lime, please.” 

The bartender seemed to freeze before making her a small glass of water with a lime slice in it. Then he left the room. He returned a few minutes later, and gave her a curious look. 

She sat in a daze until the bar seemed to glow with red and blue lights. She barely noticed people start to leave the room until a police officer reached her. 

Marinette relaxed, knowing she was finally safe, which was a mistake. Being tense was the only think keeping her conscious, and once she relaxed, it was lights out. 

...

“Who is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Bruce asked at breakfast the next morning. 

Dick and Tim looked at each other before they both looked at Damian. 

“She’s the woman who appeared at the bar last night while Damian was working,” Dick answered. 

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “And why is she so special?” 

“Because she’s been missing for 8 years,” Tim answered. “Presumed dead.” 

Silence. 

“And why do we care?” Jason asked, breaking the silence. Dick swatted his arm, making him glare at the older boy. “What? It’s a valid question.” 

Tim took a sip of his coffee. “She appeared out of nowhere, completely covered in scars and open wounds, malnourished, dehydrated, and yet not scared out of her mind like you think she would be.” 

Bruce’s face remained neutral. “You suspect she ran away?” 

Tim shook his head. “From what her medical records say and what I can see on the security cameras, she doesn’t seem freaked out. She’s been awake for about three hours now, and she’s been extremely non-traumatized. The police started questioning her an hour ago. She seems pretty okay for someone who was kidnapped.” 

“Kidnapped?” 

“Sorry. I must have forgotten that part.” All the bats looked at the three coffee cups in front of Tim, thinking they knew exactly why he forgot to mention this very important fact. “She told the police that she was kidnapped from outside her house in Paris. She’s been held against her will by a group of people who never told her their name. She said that whoever the group was wanted something she didn’t have, and they wouldn’t let her go until she gave it to them.” 

“What was it? How did she escape if she didn’t give it to them?” 

Tim shrugged. “I don’t know. The interview is still going on. We haven’t gotten that far yet.” 

Suddenly, Alfred appeared behind Bruce’s chair. “If I may. Master Bruce, maybe it would be wise to watch the interview so we know who these kidnappers are. It would not be wise to leave them free to do it again.” 

Bruce nodded. “Of course.” He stood up. “Everyone meet in the living room. Tim, pull up the security cameras on the tv. Damian, please put the knife back on the table.” 

Damian grumbled, but set the knife back on the table where he had grabbed it to use against Jason if he got too annoying. While walking to the living room, Dick sling an arm over his shoulder. “What’s up, Little D? You haven’t said a word all morning.” 

Damian scowled and pushed Dick’s arm off. “Nothing that concerns you, Grayson.” 

Damian’s attitude did nothing to dissuade the older boy, who just poked his younger brother’s cheek. “Awww, was somebody worried about the mystery girl?” 

Damian growled. “I was not worried. I was simply assessing her possible threat level.” 

“Threat level?” 

Damian faced his brother, looking completely serious. “When she came into the bar, her eyes were glowing blue.” 

...

Marinette wakes up to a white ceiling and a feeling of panic. 

Of course, on the outside she is nothing but calm. On the inside? A while emotional tornado is going on. 

First order of business: where the heck is she and how did she get there? 

She slowly moves to sit up, pausing when her head disagrees and her vision fades to black a little too suddenly. She finally sits up all the way when her vision returns, looking around the noticeable not-the-Temple room. 

Answer 1: she was in a hospital of some kind. 

Answer 2 was still a mystery. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by two police offices walking into the room, along with a nurse. She assessed the three people- two women and a man. The nurse seemed harmless, she came over and gently asked Marinette some questions about how she felt and gave her a glass of water. The two police officers had tasers and guns on them, but in this environment they were unlikely to do anything unless she attacked them. 

After answering the nurse’s questions, she left, and the two officers stepped closer to her. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng. My name is officer Jenna Storm, and this is my partner, officer Reilly. You can call me Jenna. Would you like to speak in French? Or would you prefer English. My partner and I speak both,” the woman officer- Jenna- said. 

Mari shook her head. “English is fine.” 

Jenna smiled. “Great. Would you mind telling us what happened to you?” 

There was a brief pause as Mari thought about what she should say. Even though she hated the monks for holding her captive for years, she was still the Guardian, and it was her job to protect the miraculous no matter what. So she needed to lie a little bit to keep them a secret. She motioned for the officers to have a seat. “It’s a long story.” 

The two glanced at each other and sat down. 

Marinette then took a deep breath and started explaining what happened. 

She told them how she was grabbed off the street by an unmarked van and then transported somewhere while she was unconscious. She explained how she woke up in a room surrounded by people she didn’t know, and then was told that she wasn’t allowed to leave until she gave them something they wanted. 

The two officers nodded along to her story, only interrupting to ask for clarification. They both wrote notes on notepads and seemed to get more concerned as the story went on. 

“How did you get those scars?” Officer Reilly asked. 

Mari looked down at her uncovered arms that were riddled with little white lines and curves. “I was often taught lessons in other languages, and if I messed up even a little bit they made me fight one of them for the right to speak again.” 

The room went quiet. The two officers stared at her in horror as she just stared at the far wall, lost in memories. 

Of course, it was the truth, but not the entire truth. That is how she got some of her scars, but most of them came from dueling and punishments for trying to escape. 

The finally finished the story by explaining how she escaped. 

“I’ve been preparing to escape for years. I tried many times in my first and second year, but they all failed because I was under heavy watch. After I cooled off for a bit, I noticed they seemed to let down their guard a little bit. So I decided to wait until they were sure I wouldn't leave. I waited five months until I tried again. It didn’t work. I realized I had to wait longer than five months. So I waited a year. I tried again. It didn’t work. They were on guard for a while after that one. I got hurt very badly trying to escape, so I had to wait even longer so that I could heal. I waited for years until one day I was left alone in my room, and I broke the window and escaped out that way. I came across no guards on my way out, so they obviously believed I had accepted my fate. They probably know I’ve escaped by now.” 

Officer Reilly continued to write in his notebook, but Jenna just looked up at her with even more worry. “Honey, do you think they’re going to come after you?”

Mari nodded. “Definitely. They never got what they wanted, and they’re too prideful to admit they’re wrong.” 

The two officers exchanged looks. “Do you have any other information for us? Like what it is they wanted?” 

Mari shrugged, trying to look annoyed. “They never even told me what it was. They just kept calling it a ‘Miracle.’” Not a complete lie, but also not the complete truth. 

Officer Reilly leaned forward. “Do you know why they thought you had it?” 

“No. They just kept saying that I had it and I needed to give it up.” 

There was a bit more silence as the two scribbled more in the notebooks. Then they closed them, seeming satisfied. 

“Do you have any questions for us before we leave?” Jenna asked. 

Mari thought for a second before asking the question that’s been on her mind since she was first kidnapped. “Are my parents okay? What happened to them? Can I see them?” 

The officers looked at each other with poorly disguised hesitance to tell her. Marinette’s stomach dropped. “Honey,” Jenna started. “Three years ago I’m afraid your father passed from a bad accident. I’m so sorry.” 

Marinette’s entire body froze. Her eyes started tearing up and before she could start sobbing, her hand flew up to her mouth and covered it. She bowed her head as silent sobs wracked her body. The two officers sat in silence as her body shook and she tried to cover-up her despair. 

Finally she wiped her eyes and looked up. “What about my mother? Is she alright?” 

Jenna gave her a hopeful smile. “We’re trying to contact her. After your father’s... passing, she moved out of the bakery. We’re trying to trace her now.”

“So she’s still alive?” 

Officer Reilly nodded. “As far as we are aware.” 

Mari breathed out and rubbed her face a little. “Thank you for telling me. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for a little bit.” 

“Of course.” Officer Reilly said, standing up. 

Jenna also stood, but gave a business card to Mari. “Here’s my number, in case you need it. Don’t be afraid to reach out.” 

Mari nodded and thanked her quietly. 

The officers nodded to her and then made their way out of the room. 

After making sure the door was closed and she was alone, Mari curled up on herself and allowed herself to cry.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Dick meet Marinette. Damian is suspicious of everything and anything (but mostly Mari).

The bats sat in the living room staring at the tv. This was worse than they thought. 

“Eight years,” Dick said in horror. “That means they grabbed her when she was only thirteen.”

“She was a baby,” Jason agreed. 

Damian scowled, “she seemed too calm.” 

Bruce stared at his youngest son. “Damian, do you think she was lying?” 

“Oh come on! There’s no way she was lying. She couldn’t have done that to herself. Why would she make it up?” 

Damian rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Todd. I didn’t say she did that to herself. I said that she might not have been as unwilling as she suggests.” 

“What is that supposed to mean, Demon Spawn?” 

“Eight years is a long time. Eventually she would either grow terrified of her captors or develop Stockholm syndrome. She was too calm for it to be the former, and if she escaped like she says she did, then she hasn’t stayed like stockholder syndrome suggests. Therefore, she must have allowed them to have her for eight years.” 

Bruce hummed. “You make interesting points, Damian. However, she did say that she was simply biding her time before trying to escape. I do agree that she seems a little too calm, but she also may be trying to forget the trauma she’s encountered by pushing it aside and not focusing on it.” 

Dick nodded and looked at Tim. “Tim? Care to tell us what you think?” 

The younger boy just shrugged and downed some more coffee. “I think she’s reacting well to talking about her experience. It is a little fishy, but I think she’s stronger than she looks.” 

“What makes you say that?” Dick asked. 

Tim just pointed at the screen, which was still showing the hospital room. They could see the young woman break down into tears the second the police left the room. Her entire body shook as her wails echoed off the walls. Dick’s right eye twitched and Jason’s fists curled after a painfully loud cry came from the girl. She cried for a few minutes before seeming to berate herself and uncurl from her position. She then arranged herself to sit with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. Her breathing was still wild, but after a few minutes of deep breaths, she got it under control with only a few hiccups in between. 

The bats watched as this random kidnap victim broke down, and then calmed herself down. 

“Training? Or do you think that’s just how she calms herself down?” Dick asked Bruce. 

The older man sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Normally I would say training, but this woman seems to be more than she appears.” 

“If I may, Master Bruce.” Everyone jumped as Alfred appeared out of thin air. “No matter who she is, I believe she is in need of sanctuary. After all, she did admit that the people would be after her again. I believe we should offer her accommodations until her Mother is found.” 

Bruce nodded in thought as Damian growled. “Father! Why are you even considering letting this random woman into our house?” 

Jason snickered. “Because she’s a black hair, blue eyed kid in need of a home. Bruce’s adoption senses are tingling.” 

“Jason,” Bruce sighed (something he seemed to do a lot when dealing with his children). “Damian, I’m going to offer her a place to stay until she is reunited with her Mother. If she is a threat, then we’ll be the best people to handle it.” 

“Or the worst if she finds out about us being bats,” Tim said under his breath. 

“Which she won’t.” Dick reasoned. “We’ll be careful. Until her Mom is found, or the threat is taken care of, she’ll be safe here. And we’ll keep an eye on her.” 

...

It was the day after waking up in a hospital that she was visited by someone. Actually, it was someones. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” A tall man in a suit stood at the door. He was in a relaxed stance, which did nothing to ease her nerves. Next to him was another man, this one also tall and seemingly excited. At Marinette’s curious head tilt, the men stepped into the room. “My name is Bruce Wayne, and this is my son Richard.” 

“You can call me Dick,” the younger man said. 

Marinette nodded her head in acknowledgment. “You can call me Marinette, then.” Dick’s smile grew. 

“Marinette, I would like to offer you a place to stay, if that’s alright with you. In the interview with the police you stated that the people who kidnapped you might try it again, so it’s best to be prepared,” Bruce said. 

Mari’s eyes widened a fraction. “Oh no, Mr. Wayne, I couldn’t ask that much of you. I’m sure I will be fine with whatever the police decide for me.” 

Dick and Bruce shared a look. “Marinette,” Dick started. “It’s really no problem at all. We have the room and money. There’s plenty of space. you wouldn’t be intruding, I promise.” 

“I wouldn’t want to bother you with a possible attack by my kidnappers,” Mari added to her defense. 

Bruce shook his head. “I can assure you, we have a secure home that is monitored by heavy surveillance and safety precautions.” 

“Why are you so sure that they’re going to come back for you?” Dick asked. 

Marinette looked down at her blankets and played with the edge of one as she answered. “They kept me captive for eight years. They never faltered in their methods, and they never stopped asking for what they wanted. They never got it, so I am just assuming they’ll come after me again so they can keep trying.” Dick subtly looked up at the security camera in the corner of the room, where the others were undoubtedly watching. He looked back down as Marinette continued. “Can I ask you a question?” At Bruce’s nod, she continued. “Where exactly am I? I know I’m in Gotham because that’s what the nurses said, but I have no idea where that is.” 

Dick was unable to hide his surprise. “You don’t know where Gotham is? We’re the crime capital of the world!” 

Marinette grinned sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I was only thirteen when I was kidnapped, and I’m afraid younger me wasn’t into memorizing different cities in different countries. All I know is that we’re not in France.” 

“Ah. Sorry, I forgot for a second. Gotham is in America. How you got here, though, is beyond me.” 

Mari shrugged. “Beats me. They transported me while I was unconscious, so I have no way of knowing where I was transported to, or how.” 

“May I ask you a question, Marinette?” Bruce asked. “You seem very calm about the entire situation. Is there anything you didn’t tell the police? You don’t have to trust me, but I promise if you’re in trouble, we can help.”

“Oh.” Mari seemed caught off guard. “I left out most of the boring details, of course, because it would be impossible for me to talk about eight years worth of events without eight years to do it. But I did include anything that is important, and everything major that happened.” 

“But how are you doing mentally?” Dick asked. 

Mari thought for a second. “I’ve certainly been better. These past few years have been incredibly emotionally draining and I’m sure I’ll have some sort of mental breakdown later. I’ve been teaching myself to calm down quickly since I was ten, though, so that probably adds to it too.” 

“Since you were ten? That seems awfully young to be suppressing your emotions,” Bruce said. 

The two were given a look from the girl. “I was ten when the emotional terrorist took over Paris, so I had to learn how to suppress any negative emotions so I wouldn’t be turned into an akuma.” 

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “An emotional terrorist? In Paris?” 

Marinette looked at the two in shock. “You mean you guys don’t know?” At the two’s looks of confusion, she seemed to get more and more shook. “You’ve never heard of Hawkmoth? Or Ladybug and Chat Noir?” 

“No offense, Mari, but those sound like very silly kid-show names.” Dick’s tone turned teasing, which he immediately regretted once he saw the look of despair flash across her face. Then her eyes seemed to harden before she held out a hand to him. 

“Can I see your phone, please?”

He nodded in confusion and handed her his phone. She seemed confused on how different it looked until he opened safari for her. She then typed in “ladyblog” into the search bar. Nothing that she liked came up, so she changed her search to “ladyblog ladybug chat noir hawkmoth” and clicked enter. A blog in French popped up, and she clicked on it. After scrolling through the old posts, Mari handed the phone back to Dick. “The last post was made seven years ago, but all the videos and facts were what happened in Paris for three years until our heroes took Hawkmoth down.” 

Bruce and Dick scrolled through the blog for a bit, becoming more and more bewildered as they went further down. They got to one specific post that only had a picture and a brief description. The picture was blurry, and taken from a rooftop. It showed Paris completely flooded, with debris and what looked like bodies in the water. The description was simple. 

Syren  
Abilities: Flood Paris with tears, breathe underwater  
Danger Level: High  
Casualty Level: High

Dick looked back up at Marinette, who was staring at the blanket in her lap. “You’re telling me this all really happened?” 

Mari nodded. “I’m surprised you don’t know of it. It’s been eight years, I thought they would have at least made it public after Hawkmoth was gone. I guess the mayor was just scared about tourists not wanting to come.” 

“Why isn’t Paris in shambles?” At Mari’s questioning look, Bruce elaborated, “if Paris went through this much destruction, shouldn’t the city have been a wasteland? Even eight years later it might still have been rebuilding.” 

The girl got a far off look in her eyes. “No. Ladybug had a power called the ‘Miraculous Ladybug,’ and it was able to restore everything that was caused by the akuma.” 

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Handy.” 

“I guess it does seem strange to outsiders. I would probably think the same thing.” She shrugged. 

The three discussed the situation a little more until Marinette yawned. 

“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Bruce said, standing up. He nodded once to Mari. “I hope you give our offer some thought. We would be honored to have you stay with us.” 

Dick waved as the two exited the room. Mari waved back. 

The second her door was closed she slumped. She never thought that Paris would have kept all that information hidden from the rest of the world. 

As she settled in the hospital bed to sleep, the only thing running through her head was “where is Tikki? Where is the Miracle Box?” 

...

“What did you think of her?” Bruce asked Jason, Tim, and Damian once him and Dick returned home. 

Jason shrugged. “She seemed genuine. A little sad and overwhelmed. She was shocked when you offered her a place to stay.” 

“That woman is clearly insane. If what she said about Paris was true, we would have heard about it.” Damian crossed his arms. 

Dick patted Damian’s arm, quickly pulling away as the younger boy attempted to grab it. “I don’t know. The website seems real, and I doubt she would have made it up. She had no reason to lie to us.” He looked over at Tim, who was focusing on whatever was on his laptop. “Tim?” 

Tim didn’t even bother looking up. “This blog is huge. There are three years worth of attacks. The attacks happened at least four times a week, sometimes more. I ran most of the videos and photos through many tests, and none of them are doctored at all.” He shook his head. “If I haven’t tested them myself I wouldn’t believe it.” 

Bruce hummed. “Interesting. We should ask her more when she comes to the manor.” 

“If she comes to the manor,” Dick corrected. 

“Obviously she will chose to come here. Every person on this planet would love to exploit our money.” 

“Damian,” Bruce sighed. 

“If I may butt in the conversation.” Alfred walked in the room, coming from the kitchen. “From her reaction to Master Bruce and Master Dick introducing themselves earlier, I do not think she knows who you are.” 

Damian scoffed. “Of course she knows who the Waynes are.” 

Dick shook his head. “Not if you’re a thirteen year old girl in Paris worried about a magical terrorist.” 

“Dickiebird’s right.” Jason scowled at Damian. “She probably didn’t care what happened outside of Paris, much less the country.” 

“No matter what she knows or doesn’t know about us can be addressed later,” Bruce cut in. “If she comes to the manor, you will all behave and try and avoid talking about Gotham’s vigilantes. Now.” He clapped his hands once. “I believe it’s time for dinner. We’ll discuss this later.” 

...

In a temple on the other side of the world, The Order started to try and track down the Guardian’s aura. They found out it was much more difficult than the first time, since this time the Guardian was trained in magic and had learned how to protect herself with protection spells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y’all for reading this :) it makes my heart happy to see people enjoying my random writing


	3. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a mission. Jason is unknowingly her supervisor (he also loses her, but we don’t talk about that... much).

After their first meeting, Marinette was pretty much convinced to move in with the Waynes. When she was introduced to the rest of the family, it strengthened her decision. 

Her first thought after meeting Tim Drake was “oh you poor kindred spirit,” and then she proceeded to mother-hen the heck out of him, despite him being older than her. 

Jason Todd was unfairly tall, and his snark was only rivaled by her own, but then he quoted Jane Austen right in front of her and she realized just how much of a nerd he was. 

Damian obviously did NOT want to be there, and he made that very clear with their first interaction by declaring that he didn’t like her and that he didn’t trust her. 

Well. Tough love it is. 

“That’s fine. I don’t trust you either. Trust is earned, and all you’ve done in the ten minutes of you being in my presence is scoff and belittle me.” 

Damian had the nerve to look offended as if he was the most trustworthy person in the room. Dick, Jason, and Tim stood next to him, snickering. 

Alfred Pennyworth came forward and introduced himself, claiming that he was the family butler and welcoming her to Wayne Manor. He offered to show her to her room after introductions. “What a wonderful human being,” she thought. 

The boys followed her and Alfred up to her new (temporary) room. She walked in and immediately froze. 

“Mari?” Dick asked. “Do you not like it?” 

“No!” She blurted out. “I do like it! I just wasn’t expecting the size.” And she honestly wasn’t. The room was huge. At least double her room in her old house, and five times the size of the room she had in The Temple (if one could call it that). 

“You haven’t even seen the other rooms. This one’s tiny compared to those,” Jason pointed out. At Mari’s expression, he rolled his eyes. “This house is unnecessarily big.” 

“We‘ll leave you alone to look around. I’m just across the hall if you need anything!” Dick grabbed Jason and an angry Damian and dragged them out, Alfred and Tim calmly walking out behind them. Mari smiled at the family’s antics. 

She turned back to the room. Since she just appeared in Gotham, she had nothing to unpack. She only had the clothes she was given at the hospital, which was just a white t-shirt and black sweatpants. She walked around the room, opening drawers and closets. In one of the dressers there was a few generic shirts and some jeans. On the bedside table, there was a cellphone, with a note besides it from Bruce, telling her it’s her new phone. 

She looked at everything on the phone, but it was just that- a new phone. It wasn’t her old one, so it had no contact information or photos. Nothing connecting her to her old life. She had no way to contact anyone. 

She then was reminded of something

She does have something to connect her to her old life.

...

The next day saw Marinette standing outside Bruce’s office door. 

“Mr. Wayne?”

Bruce looked up to see Marinette standing in the doorway, fidgeting nervously. “Yes, Marinette?” 

“I’m going out for a bit. I just need some me time outside. I’m just letting you know so that you don’t think I’m running away or something,” she stated. 

Bruce hummed and rubbed the side of his face. “I would prefer if you had someone to accompany you, since you think the people who kidnapped you are looking for you.” 

“But if someone in your family came with me, they might find me faster,” Marinette blurted out. After seeing the look on the older man’s face, she quickly backtracked. “I mean, maybe they would be good for guards, but they wouldn’t be good for stealth. Your family is apparently famous, and that means paparazzi are going to be on the lookout.” She remembered a Good Friend of her’s from eight years ago who had trouble with the media whenever he was out and about. 

Bruce sighed. “You make a fair point.” Mari’s expression lightened, before frowning again when Bruce put his hand up. “But, you need to take the phone we gave you, and make sure you have it on you at all times. It has a tracker in it. I also want you to stay out of alleys, and if you think you’re in trouble, call me immediately. Do you understand?” When she nodded, he dismissed her. Once she left, he made a call. 

“Jason, Marinette is going out. I need you to watch her from a distance.” 

...

Marinette took her new phone and went on her way into Gotham. 

Despite her mission, she still stopped every now and then to gawk at certain things she had missed. For example, they don’t have gardens at The Temple. They also don’t have gargoyles. Or people in casual clothing. She looked around, her fingers itching for a pencil to draw what she saw. Despite not designing in years, she never lost her motivation to create. She had the miraculous of creation for too long for it to not affect her. 

She was looking around for somewhere to stop, when she felt eyes watching her from behind. 

Someone was watching her. 

Someone was watching her from a rooftop behind her. 

She slowly picked up her pace a little. Not enough to cause alarm, but enough to gain a little distance. 

Until the other person seemed to speed up. 

She wasn’t speed walking, but she was walking faster than most people were. She eventually crossed the street and decided to go into a public library that was open. 

She hadn’t brought any money with her, otherwise she would have gone into a cafe or restaurant. Instead, she decided to weave around the bookshelves for a few minutes. Finally she placed her phone under a chair cushion and made her way to the bathroom. She then locked the door and took a deep breath. 

Now it was time to make a portal to Paris. 

...

Jason followed Marinette from what he thought was a safe distance. He decided to follow her as Red Hood, as that wouldn’t raise as many alarms as a civilian who is also an older man would (never mind that the older man was Jason Todd). 

Everything was fine until he noticed her speeding up. If he was anyone else, he wouldn’t have noticed, but he noticed the second he had to jump rooftops a little faster and then almost tripped. When she crossed the street, he got a little suspicious. His suspicions faded a little when she went into the library, but not by a lot. 

He went into an alleyway and changed out of his outfit (so just the helmet and jacket basically), and then crossed the street to enter the library. He had to be discrete, so he snuck around the bookshelves (which in hindsight wasn’t very discrete) while looking for the younger woman. 

He couldn’t find her after a good twenty minutes, and he started thinking that she slipped past him and left, but then he saw her coming out of the bathroom. He watched her from the other side of the room, pretending to read a random book he pulled off the shelf next to him (the book was Existentialism for Dummies, which got him strange looks- as well as the way he was holding the book). 

Marinette looked around casually, then sat down in a chair with a book that was sitting on the table next to her. This might have seemed natural, if not for the book being Beginners French, a language Jason knew she already spoke. 

...

She stepped through a portal, and into her old home in Paris. 

Immediately she was bombarded by memories, bringing tears to her eyes. Eight years ago this had been her bedroom. Her parents used to sleep in rooms downstairs. The bakery used to make the house smell like freshly baked goods all day. Her friends used to meet up here and make outlandish schemes that only preteens could think up. 

Her father-

She shook her head and wiped under her eyes where a few tears had escaped. Now was not the time. 

The room had obviously changed from her pink bedroom, into more of a blue guest room. All her furniture was gone, and replaced with a bed and new, empty dressers and tables. Luckily for her, the layout and floor seemed unchanged. 

She walked over to where the L shaped desk used to be and kneeled down at the corner of the room. She then wedged her fingers between two of the floorboards and pulled one up. After removing the other, she pulled out a heavy metal box. The box had a combination padlock on it, which she had to rack her brain for to remember the combination. 

After trying two different combinations, she finally figured it out. Opening the box, she almost cried in relief. It was still there. 

The Miracle Box. 

...

She knew it was going to take a lot of strength, but she couldn’t take the box with her outside in Gotham, so she had to teleport into her room at Wayne Manor to store the box, and then teleport again to the library. It took her an extra ten minutes than she’d initially hoped for, but she managed to hide the box under layers of magic, and placed it under her bed. By the time she was back in the library bathroom, she was exhausted. She exited the bathroom and walked over to where she placed her phone. 

She immediately recognized the presence she felt earlier, so she couldn’t just grab her phone and leave or else they would wonder why she stuffed her phone in the chair cushion. 

It seemed they were having a battle of wills. Marinette had determined that the person following her wasn’t doing it maliciously (thanks, magic), but they were watching her, which was suspicious enough. 

One good thing, she supposes, is that this has motivated her to take a breather before going back out. She allowed herself to rest for a few more minutes, pretending to read a random book that her brain wasn’t even comprehending, and then she subtly tried to stand up, purposely making the cushion on the chair dislodge a little. 

She muttered a curse (loud enough that the stranger would hopefully hear it), and patted around the cushion as if trying to find something. Finally, she pulled her phone out and faked a sigh of relief. 

Starting to walk to the entrance, she tried to look around at all the people in the building with her. She passed only a few people (one man had one of those “for Dummies” books close to his face, and upside down, but who was she to judge), walking as quickly as she could without making it seem like she was rushing. 

Now back out in the streets of Gotham, she crossed the street and made her way back to the Manor. 

Until she felt the presence again. 

“Don’t stop. You said you would be safe. Don’t do anything stupid,” she chanted under her breath. Her fingernails dug into her skin as she tightened her hands into fists. This kept up for about two minutes before she huffed at herself and made a sharp turn into an alley. 

The alley was empty, and nothing was suspicious, so she walked in a few feet and then debated something for a second. “I’m already being reckless today, so why not.”

Marinette jumped up to grab onto the fire escape, and then used her momentum to swing herself up. She quickly made her way up the stairs as she felt the person getting closer. When they were almost to her, she reached the roof. She made a quick mental note to herself to take a very long nap when she got back to the Manor. 

She crossed her arms and turned in the person’s direction, ready to fight with them (either verbally or physically). 

Her arms fell to her sides as she recognized the figure. 

“Jason?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna try and update when I can, but my options are:  
> 1\. Short chapters that come out quicker (aka under 3k, every 2-4 days), or  
> 2\. Long chapters that take a while (over 3k, and about a week)
> 
> (Also, those are less options and more “this is the truth, but know I’m not forgetting about this fic no matter how long it takes me to update”)
> 
> Thank you all for the support! I smile like a lunatic when I see people enjoying my crazy writing :)))


	4. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari confronts Jason. She turns on her inner detective. Jason is a little scared of this tiny woman (not that he’ll admit that). 
> 
> Oh, plus a special reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****JUST A REMINDER****
> 
> @Jinx-Jade on tumblr (Trial_and_Error on AO3) initially came up with this idea. I took it and ran with it. They also have their own version of this story, so go check it out (it’s called Angel with Blue eyes)!

It was a calculated risk. 

And obviously it failed (ok so it wasn’t that calculated, he’s bad at math). 

‘I-uhhh. I think you have the wrong guy?” His voice tilted up at the end, and he knew before he saw her face that he gave himself away. He wilted. “How?”

Marinette stood on the opposite roof, looking at him like he was insane. “You are wearing the exact same thing you had on this morning, but with a jacket and a helmet. Which, by the way, is not a good fashion statement.” Jason removed his helmet, showing a domino mask underneath, and rubbed his neck awkwardly. “What are you trying to dress up as?” 

Jason’s neck rubbing froze as he searched her face. His expression changed to bewilderment. “You don’t know who I am?” He slapped his forehead. “Of course you don’t. You’ve been gone for eight years.” He sheepishly smiled. “I’m Red Hood.” 

She raised an eyebrow and looked down at the helmet under his arm, and then back up at him. “Not with that giant red monstrosity on your head. Where’s the hood part? All I see is an idiot wearing a helmet that is not stealthy at all.” 

“Hey!” Jason had the nerve to look offended. 

Mari held up her hands. “Don’t act so upset. I just tell it like I see it.” 

The man huffed and looked away for a second before turning his gaze back to her. “What was so interesting in the library?” 

“A book. Why were you following me?” She fired back. 

“I wanted to make sure you were ok. A book? I saw you reading a book on beginners French. Need a crash course?” 

“Just wanted to refresh my skills. I saw you reading a book yourself. Existentialism for Dummies. Something you think about a lot?”

“Maybe I found the book interesting.” 

“Do you often read books that way?”

“What way?”

“Upside down.”

Jason looked down and cursed. Marinette smirked. “It’s okay. I know you were just following me to make sure I was okay.” She gave him a suspicious look. “No other reason, I’m sure.” 

The older man shook his head frantically. “I was just making sure your kidnappers didn’t try anything.” 

Her suspicious look melted away into something softer. “Oh. Thank you.” Then she raised an eyebrow. “But you know I can take care of myself, right?”

Now it was Jason’s turn to give her an incredulous look. “No offense, Mari, but you look like you couldn’t even lift over half your body weight, which is saying something since you look ten pounds soaking wet.” At her glare, he gulped.

“Are you calling me weak, Mr. Red Helmet?” Marinette mocked. 

Jason just kicked himself in defeat. 

...

The two made a deal to walk around Gotham together. 

Since her mission was over, Marinette had no reason to be alone anymore, and so she allowed the taller man to walk with her, as long as he showed her “The Sights.”

Granted, that was before she knew what The Sights were.

“And that’s the alley where I almost got mugged for the fourth time.” 

Marinette sighed in exasperation. “Jason, hon, this is not what I meant when I asked you to show me around.” 

Jason looked at her, affronted. “Excuse you, I’m showing you all the Gotham hot-spots. These are really important places in Gotham history!” 

Mari raised an eyebrow. “The second bar you got drunk in? The twelfth alleyway you punched somebody? The fifth car you tried to hijack? Why are these important, and why did you do them?” 

“They’re important to me!” Jason defended. His defense was weak, though, and he knew it. “Ok, so they’re not important, but they are interesting.” Mari’s look grew more incredulous. “Ok they’re not interesting either.”

Marinette pat him on the back condescendingly. “It’s okay, Jason. Not everybody’s lives are as interesting as mine.” 

His head turned violently towards her. When he saw her joking expression, he huffed. “Yeah, we know. We can’t all be French kids who were abducted for eight years. You’re special.” 

“And don’t you forget it.” She pat him on the head. 

They walked in silence for a little bit before Jason interrupted it. His voice lowered as if he was trying to soothe her. “Hey, you know you can talk to us.” 

Marinette gave him a small smile. “I know.” She looked down. “It’s only been a few days though, and I’m still processing the whole thing.” 

Jason kicked a random rock. “It’s okay to be scared. I know it’s easy to pretend everything’s okay, but people don’t come out of events like that without a whole lot of trauma. And I may be the biggest hypocrite when saying it, but talking to other people might help.” He faked gagging. “Oh my god, I’m turning into Dick. Please kill me now.” 

Marinette giggled. “That was very inspiring, Jason. Bravo.” She calmed down a little, turning slightly in his direction. “In all seriousness, though. Thank you for trying to help, but I think I’m going to do things at my own pace. I’ve been bending to other people’s schedules for over eight years, so I think I need some time to think for myself and comprehend everything.” 

Jason nodded. “That’s fair. Just let me know when you’re ready.” His expression turned sour. “It’s getting worse. Call the Justice League. I’ve been possessed.” 

“The Justice League?” Mari questioned. “What’s that?”

Jason stared at her for a few seconds before grabbing her hand and pulling her into a nearby cafe. “Come on. You apparently have a lot to learn.” 

...

“Bat what?”

“Why the heck is he able to fly?”

“He’s a what?!”

“Who decided that name? ‘The Flash’? Sounds tacky.” 

“Do any of the others have sidekicks? And why does he need multiple?”

“Did you say the Amazon’s?” 

“His skin is green?” 

“I don’t know what you have against them, but it’s probably not nice to call Robin a brat.”

“You’re talking as if you personally know all the bats.” 

“Oh my god, you personally know all the bats.” 

...

Jason tried. He really did. But she was apparently really good at picking up little hints. 

“I do not. Absolutely not. I’m not even a vigilante. I’m more of an anti-hero.” 

“You know all the bats which is why you are so concerned over my kidnappers.” As Marinette kept talking, her eyes continued to widen. “They’ve been trying to find them.” 

“Well.” Jason shrugged. “I mean, yeah. You were abducted. We cant let those people continue to walk the streets.” 

Mari angled her head in consideration. “That’s fair.” She took a sip of the hot chocolate she ordered. “So... what are they like?” 

“Who?”

“Batman and his flock of birds?” 

Jason snorted. “Rowdy.” 

Mari raised an eyebrow. “You mean more so than your group of Waynes?” She paused. “Wait.” She leaned forward a little and stared at Jason’s face. Her eyes raked his face, studying the way his eyes nervously avoided hers. 

Jason started to sweat. “Mari,” he gulped. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably wrong.” 

She groaned and put her head in her hands. After a few seconds, she looked up. “Your entire family are bats, aren’t they?” 

“Ummm, no?” At her disbelieving look, he continued defending himself. “We’re not all bats!” Technically not a lie since they were names after birds. 

“So some of you are?” 

This was feeling more and more like an interrogation. “I’m saying I am, but I’m not saying that the others are.” 

Marinette’s expression turned smug. “But you're not saying they aren’t, either.” 

“You know what?” Jason turned his face away from her. “I don’t need to answer your questions. I came in here to tell you about the Justice League and nothing else. And now I’ve told you about the Justice League so I’ve fulfilled my duty.” 

Marinette laughed. “You’re right.” She finished her hot chocolate and stood to throw the cup away. “Just hope that I never meet any of the bats, because I may be able to figure them out.” And with that note, she started walking away. 

As Jason scrambled after her, he internally noted to never let Mari get near any of the bats. 

...

After arriving at the manor, Marinette headed up to her room. The second she was in the door, she kicked off her shoes and basically face-planted on her bed. Teleporting three times right after each other was exhausting. She allowed herself to rest for a bit, but she forced herself to sit up when she felt like she was going to fall asleep. She still had one thing to do. 

She dragged herself off the bed and kneeled down to reach under it. She carefully pulled out the Miracle Box. 

Nearly crying, she ran her hand over the smooth egg-shaped container. She gently pressed down on the top of it and closed her eyes to summon the kwami. 

“Marinette?”

The chorus of many tiny voices made her eyes fly open. 

“Tikki!”

The red ladybug kwami flew right to her and hugged her cheek. The tears in her eyes finally ran down her face and her body shook. The other kwami swarmed her, trying to comfort their guardian. 

“I’ve missed you guys so much,” Marinette choked out. 

Tikki pressed herself closer to her chosen, if possible. “Oh Marinette. We missed you too.” 

They stayed in a little huddle for a few more minutes while Marinette released all her emotions, the kwami patiently waiting for her to explain. When her tears slowed, the kwami pulled away from her. Plagg and Trixx curled up on her two shoulders, and Nooroo landed on her head. The other kwami sat in front of their guardian. 

Tikki landed on Mari’s outstretched palm. “Marinette, what happened? Why were you gone for so long?” 

Marinette didn’t even hesitate, immediately launching into the story starting with storing the Miracle Box under the floorboards in her room. Unlike with the police or the Waynes, she didn’t hold back. The kwami listened to her tell the story, and comforted her when she got lost in her head. They were all horrified by the actions of The Order. Tikki made eye contact with Plagg, both of them nodding subtly and quietly agreeing to deal with The Order later. 

After two hours of recounting eight years of trauma, she finished, telling them about being taken in by the Waynes until they find her mother. 

“Marinette that’s horrible. I’m so sorry The Order did that.” Tikki looked down, as if she was blaming herself. 

“No, no,” Mari lightly scolded. “Tikki, it’s not your fault. None of yours,” she added after seeing the other kwami start opening their mouths. 

Plagg floated off her shoulder, stopping in front of her face. “Look pigtails, you can believe what you want, but what they did was wrong. We may not be in charge of them or their actions, but we can do something about it to make sure they wont do it again.” 

Mari gave him a small smile. “Thank you Plagg, but I’m not sure I want you guys going anywhere near The Order. While you guys may be small gods, I don’t want to know what would happen if they somehow captured you. It’s my responsibility to watch after you and protect you, so that’s what I’m going to do.” 

“Hmm.” Kaalki shook her head. “I think I should go give them a piece of my mind.” 

“Kaalki,” Mari reprimanded. 

“Plagg is right.” Wayzz flew over to her and landed on her knee. “They will just come after you again if we don’t tell them to stop.” 

“Listen,” Marinette sighed. “I’m not going to stop you. I don't want to be that type of guardian. But I will say that this is a bad idea, and if you get captured, I will come after you. So do what you wish, but be safe or I might be kidnapped again.” 

“Of course, Guardian.” Wayzz bowed his head. 

Tikki flew back up and hugged her cheek. “Oh Marinette, I’m so proud of you!” 

The young woman laughed and cupped the tiny being in her hand. “Thank you, Tikki. It’s been a hard eight years. Especially with-“

“Miss Marinette?” A knock on the door halted Marinette from speaking. She froze, worrying that someone heard heard her talking to the kwami. “It is time for dinner.” 

She relaxed a little. “Thank you Alfred! I’ll be right down!” 

At the sound of retreating footsteps, she looked back down at the kwami. “We need to be more careful. Anybody could have overheard us talking.” She moved to stand up, the few kwami on her flew off. “I dont want to put you back in the box after you being trapped there for eight years, but if anybody saw you...” she trailed off. 

Luckily, Tikki knew what she was trying to say. “Don’t worry, Marinette. We’ll hide under the bed. And if anybody comes in the room we can always phase into the closet or something.” 

“Thank you,” she gratefully said, walking towards the door. The kwami all dove under the bed right in time for her to open the door and walk out of the room. 

...

“So Marinette,” Bruce started. “How was your walk around Gotham?” 

“Your what?” Damian sharply asked. 

Marinette barely glanced at Damian, instead smiling at Bruce. “It was lovely. It was nice to be able to walk around.” She glanced at Jason. “The chaperone was unnecessary, though.” 

Jason threw up his hands. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay!” 

“And I thank you for that. But I wanted to walk around without being tailed.” She shivered. “It felt like when I was at that place. I was always being watched.” 

Jason at least looked a little guilty. “Sorry about that.” 

Mari waved her hand dismissively. “I understand. Besides. I doubt you were the mastermind behind the scheme.” She gave a side look to Bruce before casually continuing to eat. 

The boys noticed her glance to the older Wayne, but didn't say anything about it. Damian was still semi-stewing in his anger about the fact they let Marinette out of the house. Jason pouted into his plate. Tim was half asleep. 

Dick looked at his brothers, and deciding nobody else was going to talk, he spoke up. “So Mari,” he began. “What do you like to do?” 

Marinette thought. It had been eight years since she had done something she liked doing just for fun. At The Temple she learned, fought, and survived. There wasn’t any time for hobbies or relaxing. “Umm. I used to like designing. I guess I still do, but it’s been a while. I used to make all of my own clothes.” 

Dick perked up at this. “No way! That’s pretty cool! Anything else?” 

“Well.” She pushed her food around with her fork. “My parents used to own a bakery, and I would help them sometimes. Baking was a fun activity we did together. I’m not sure if I’d still be good at it, though.” 

“What about gymnastics?” Dick asked, ignoring his brothers who groaned. “Did you ever do anything like that?” 

Mari’s brain flashed back to her days as a superhero. “I never did anything professional, and I never took any lessons, but I was pretty flexible. I liked anything having to do with the air and feeling the wind in my hair.” Her face gained a wistful look. Damian narrowed his eyes at her and added that to his internal list. 

Dick got even more energetic. “That’s great! Would you be interested in learning the trapeze?” 

Marinette blinked, bringing herself back to the conversation. “I’m not sure I’d be any good, but I’d love to try.” 

Dick’s excited talking was only muffled by Jason, who gave her a deadpan expression. “Thanks, Mari. Now we’ll never get him to stop.” 

Marinette shrugged as if to say “whatcha gonna do about it?” 

Alfred appeared out of nowhere, nodding to Marinette. “While we are on the topics of hobbies, is there anything you would like, Miss Marinette?” 

“Oh!” She thought about it. She wasn’t sure how long it would take to find her mother, so she figured it probably would benefit her to do something to pass the time. She looked at Alfred. “If you wouldn't mind, I would like a sketchbook and some pencils please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mari, you hypocrite. Calling the Flash’s name tacky while yours is Ladybug? I mean, you were young, but still. 
> 
> Y’all I know it’s been longer than usual, but college sucks and covid sucks more, soooo


	5. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets back into designing, she starts her trapeze lessons with Dick, she has a talk with the Kwami, and there’s a revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a side note: I call them by their hero names when they’re in the suit, but if they take their masks off I call them by their real names.

After eight years of designing nothing, you’d think Marinette would have a hard time getting back into the swing of it. 

You’d be wrong.

Mari had so much pent up creativity that she immediately started drawing the second she acquired her new art supplies. She sat herself down in the living room and got to work. 

Alfred gave her the supplies around noon that day, but she didn’t stop until he got her for dinner. Right after dinner she went back to designing. 

(Tikki would later tell her that another long-term side affect of the holder of the ladybug miraculous was the need to create things. Something she had been deprived of for eight years.)

She never noticed when the sun went down, or when Tim joined her in the living room. The older boy started at the sight of her also in there, but he was too tired to think much of it, setting down his laptop and sixth cup of coffee on the table in front of his chair and working on a cold case. 

The two worked in silence for most of the night. In the early morning- still before the sun came up, but after some of the household started their morning- Damian came into the room. He seemed unsurprised to see Tim, but his eyebrows twitched a little when he saw Marinette awake. He allowed himself to observe her sketching for only a second, not wanting to admit to himself that she had good drawing skills. 

He tutted. “I expected this from you, Drake. But Dupain-Cheng? You are aware night time is meant for sleeping, don’t you?” 

Marinette didn’t even look up from her sketchbook. “Sure. I suppose your absence every night means you’re sleeping over at a friends house?” She mocked tapping her chin in thought. “Oh wait, that would require you having friends.” 

Obviously sleep-deprived and fashion absorbed Marinette had zero filter and zero self-preservation, because she never would have said that when she’s more self-aware, and Damian looked ten seconds away from attacking her right then and there. Tim looked up from his computer, and after seeing Damian’s murderous expression, he quickly stood up. “Right,” he said. “I think it’s time you and I got some sleep, Marinette.” 

“What? But I was just-“ 

“No, no,” Tim denied. “If we don’t leave right now, somebody’s going to start a fight. And with your loose lips and the gremlin’s anger issues, I doubt it would be me.” 

Mari just grumbled as she was man-handled out of the room. Tim dragged her to her room, and shoved her face first onto her bed. He would have gone around to the other side of the bed to continue working, but Marinette apparently had a tight grip on his shirt sleeve, and when she went down, she dragged him down as well. He was going to get up, but just as he was shifting over, he noticed Marinette had actually fallen asleep. He originally had no intention of sleeping, but after she started breathing more heavily, he allowed himself to lay in a more comfortable position, eventually drifting off to sleep as well. 

...

“Okay,” Marinette said, walking into the huge workout room the Waynes apparently had. “What’s first?” 

Dick pointed to an area on the ground. “We’re going to do stretches. How flexible are you?” 

Instead of answering, Marinette sat down and reached out to touch her toes. Dick raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, choosing to join her. 

They went through the basic stretches before Dick grinned. “Now for the fun stuff.” 

He first did the splits with his left leg in front. When Mari copied him perfectly, he just smiled. He switched to having his right leg in front, and again Mari was able to do it back. He wasn’t even surprised when they did a side split and she was able to mimic him. 

Before he moved from the side splits, he put his hands in front of him on the floor and moved up into a press handstand. Marinette copied him, and when he noticed, he almost fell over. 

He led her through more and more intricate stretches and moves, at one point doing a Pincha Mayurasana with stag leg, which he actually fell over during due to his surprise when Mari balanced flawlessly. 

Once he assessed her flexibility and balance, he had her join him for jumps and flips. They did handsprings and front/back flips and twist jumps, and soon they had worked out a sweat. They eventually had to call it quits once both of them ran out of breath after a long combo. 

“Next time I’m going to teach you the trapeze.” 

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the older man. “We’ve only had one session together. Are you sure I should be up there this soon?”

Dick waved his hand dismissively. “You were able to keep up with my stretches and tumbles, so I think you’ll be fine. You seem like you’re a fast learner. Plus, I think you’ll really enjoy it.” 

Marinette looked over at the trapeze area. She thought back to her time as Ladybug, flying through the air and jumping off of buildings. 

She thought back to her partner and how she missed having someone to fly with her. 

She looked back at Dick. “Yeah. I think I will.” 

... 

After another day of talking to the kwami, doing gymnastics with Dick, and teasing Damian, Marinette decided to finally do something she was putting off. 

Look up her friends phone numbers. 

The internet is very different now than eight years ago, and she found that it’s easier to find people’s contact information. The first person she looked up was Adrien. He was famous, so obviously something should come up, right? She searched through several articles and social media sights, not sure how many of them were credible or the real deal. She finally found an account that looked promising, and clicked on it to message the person. She wrote a short summary of what happened- making sure to stay vague in case the person wasn’t her Adrien. She waited a few seconds after sending it, but she clicked off as soon as she realized it might take a while to get a response. 

Next up was Alya. Alya had the Ladyblog, so surely she would come up as well. 

She was correct, and the first link to come up was the Ladyblog. But before clicking on it, she hesitated. Underneath it was another blog run by Alya, but this one was updated more recently. When she clicked on the site, it brought her to a blog run by Alya, but it wasn’t focused on Ladybug anymore. 

It was focused on Marinette. 

The site shouldn’t have had her sad, but tears were streaming down her face anyway. The blog was named M Squared, or Marinette Memories. The entire thing was about Alya’s missing best friend: Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The last post on the blog was two years ago, saying that Alya was suspending posts for a while because her therapist thought she needed a break. Understandable, since Marinette had been presumed dead for a while at that point. Eight years was a long time to hold onto hope, even if it wouldn’t have been misplaced. 

Marinette scrolled through the blog, looking at all the pictures of her, her friends, and her family. There were many stories about her, and interviews with everyone who knew her. Even people like Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale spoke about her limitless kindness and creativity. 

(To her amusement, there was one interview with Lila Rossi, claiming that Marinette was a “true friend” who “didn’t deserve to be abducted” and “shouldn’t have ignored her invitation to Achu that day,” but the video cut off after that, and there was a caption under that said “Lila Rossi has been determined a liar, and anything she says must be taken with a grain of salt. I apologize to all my viewers, and I hope you can forgive me for not checking my facts. I am keeping this video up as a warning to anyone claiming to be friends with Mari who wasn’t, or to anyone who has ulterior motives. Stay away from my blog. 

“Marinette, I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”)

She sent a private message to Alya (also sending one on the Ladyblog, just in case), but she doubted her friend would see it. Instead, she tried to look up Alya’s contact information via the “About me” section of the blog. 

No luck. 

Apparently her ladybug luck doesn’t work like that. 

The kwami hugged her as she wept. 

...

Mari had been training with Dick for a few days on the trapeze, but this would be her first time without any help or expectations. Dick had been called away by Bruce, and he told her to just do whatever she wanted as long as she was safe. 

She didn’t even hesitate to leap off the platform the second he was gone. There was a net below, but even without it, she would have felt the rush of adrenaline. Free falling, even for seconds, was nothing less than absolute bliss. Dick was a great teacher and partner, but it was nice to just be impulsive and do whatever she wanted. 

Mari did flips and twirls in the air as she swung onto and on the bars. She laughed in the middle of a double flip through the air. 

She was so caught up in her freedom that she missed her new audience. 

Jason and Tim were on their way to spar, but they froze in the doorway at the sight in front of them. 

“You see it too, right?” Tim blinked twice. 

Jason nodded, keeping his eyes on the figure. “The girl acting as if she was born into the circus? Yeah, I see her.” 

“Holy hell,” Tim breathed. “I’ve only seen Dick move that effortlessly up there. And even then, he grew up doing it. He had years to become that comfortable. I thought Dick started teaching her two weeks ago.” 

“I did.” 

At the sound of their older brother’s voice, the two turned around to see the newly returned Dick. “I started two weeks ago. I can assure you, she wasn’t this good two weeks ago. She wasn’t terrible, but this is a whole new level.” 

The boys stared at the girl as she finally ended her routine by completing a backflip and landing on a platform. She was breathing heavily, but that didn’t stop her from laughing at her own happiness. She climbed down the platform, but when she made it to the bottom, she finally saw the three boys watching her in awe and bafflement. “Oh.” She shyly waved. “Hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” 

Dick waved his arms around frantically. “No no! You aren’t interrupting anything. We’re talking about how impressive that routine was.” 

Mari looked away and rubbed her neck. “That was just me having fun, but thank you. It felt good to have nothing holding me back.” 

“It was amazing, Mari. You should do it more often,” Jason said. 

Marinette smiled. “Thanks. I think I will.” She grabbed a water bottle and headed out of the room. “I’ll see you guys later. I’ve gotta take a shower.” 

As they separated, the three boys shared a look. Tim added Marinette’s apparent talent in gymnastics and acrobatics to his internal file on the woman. 

...

“Why don’t you tell Jason about being Ladybug?” 

Marinette just stared at the cat kwami. She was in her room, doing more research on her old friends while the kwami chilled around the room. “I cant tell anyone, Plagg. When I took up the role of guardian I said I was going to protect the miraculous no matter what. I already messed that up by telling the Waynes about the Hawkmoth situation. I don’t need people trying to steal the miraculous.” 

Plagg just rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say tell them about being guardian. I said tell them about you being Ladybug. For all they know, you gave the earrings back.” 

“Yes, but they might also come to the conclusion that I was kidnapped because of my involvement in the Hawkmoth situation, and while it’s true, it’s for a different reason than being Ladybug,” she countered. 

“Marinette has a point, Plagg.” Tikki floated up to him. “The Waynes already know too much. Jason works with them as Red Hood, so he might tell them about the Paris situation, and then boom. The Justice League is looking for the miraculous.” 

Marinette frowned. “That wouldn’t be good. From what Jason told me, they don’t like not being in control of things.” 

“That could also be because Jason is extremely biased, though.” 

Marinette nodded to the ladybug kwami. “True.” 

“You could tell them about being Multimouse?” Tikki suggested. 

Mari shook her head. “It’s too dangerous. Especially with the fact that my identity was revealed to Chat Noir. They might draw the wrong conclusions.”

“Or they could help you. Guardian, you are all alone. Getting help may benefit you. I dont agree with letting them know you’re the guardian. But letting them know you were a superhero might lead to them trusting you more and helping you with the nightmares we know you’ve been hiding.”

At Wayzz’s words, she looked away shamefully. Duusu came up and nestled her cheek while Trixx curled up on her head. Tikki flew up right in front of Marinette’s face. “Marinette, we just want to help you. We will agree with your decisions, but we do think it’s best you tell at least Jason. Somebody should know so that you’re not alone.” 

Mari smiled sadly. “I’m not really alone though, when I have you guys.” She looked around. “Thank you all. I know you want to help, and I love you for it. I think I’m going to sleep on it, though. Just to make sure I’ve thought everything through.” 

The kwami agreed with her, and as she opened her arms, they all rushed to hug her. 

...

“Now look at what you’ve done,” Marinette accused, glaring at Red Hood. “I figured out the bats.” 

Red Hood groaned and slapped his forehead as Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin, and Robin stared at the 21 year old. 

“You what?” Nightwing asked. 

Marinette gave him a flat look. “I’ve been living with you all for a while now. I’m also a fashion designer. I know your body types too well to not recognize you all.” 

Robin looked accusatory at Red Hood. “Todd! You told her?” 

(Everyone ignored the weak “no names in the field” from Batman)

“I never told her!” Red Hood defended. “She figured me out when I followed her that one day she asked to go out. You guys wearing skin-tight suits probably doesn’t help.” 

Red Robin tilted his head. “Why are you out here anyways? Shouldn’t you be at the manor? And asleep?” 

Marinette shrugged and looked around. She had decided to take a late night stroll to think- only telling Alfred she was going out. She had her phone on her, as well as Kaalki and Tikki, just in case. She was going to leave them at the manor, but she figured it would be better to have something to fight with. She had her magic disguising the Guardian aura anyway. “I needed some fresh air. Gotham is actually beautiful at night. It’s a win-win.” 

“Unless you get mugged or killed.” Red Robin muttered. 

Mari waved her hand dismissively. “Meh, I would be fine.” 

Robin scoffed, and only stopped opening his mouth when Batman placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. 

They stood in silence for a bit, before Red Hood removed his helmet. 

“Sorry Mari,” Hood apologized. 

“It’s fine,” Marinette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “At least you know I wont tell anybody.” 

“And why not?” Robin seethed. 

Marinette looked at him and shrugged nonchalantly. “I know how important it is to keep a secret identity. Paris’s heroes would remind us all the time not to look into their identities.” 

Robin’s scowl didn’t shrink even a little. “But you could still rat us out.” 

“I have no reason to. Besides. Who would believe me?” Mari asked. 

“You could sell us out for money or fame.” 

Marinette gave a blank stare to Robin before shifting to Hood as if to say ‘is this guy for real?’ She looked back at Damian. “First off, I don’t care for either. Money and fame are the last things on my mind nowadays. Secondly, I’ve known about Jason for a few weeks and I have yet to tell anybody, including you guys.” 

“She makes a good point, Little D,” Nightwing vouched. 

Robin growled. “Father, tell these idiots why this is dangerous.”

Batman sighed. “Boys, please refrain from using any names while suited up.” He glanced at Marinette briefly before facing his kids. “And I do believe Marinette will not tell anyone. This is indeed unfortunate circumstances, but what’s done is done. She knows, so we will do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” 

The boys voiced their agreements (although Robin’s was reluctant and angry). 

Marinette smiled. “Well then!” She looked at the bats. “Who wants quiche for breakfast tomorrow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y’all :) sorry its been a week. Writing’s hard but life is harder.


	6. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets a notification, and offer, and a new team all in one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I’m not dead, just busy)

Marinette’s time at Wayne manor became even more hectic than before discovering what the Waynes did at night, which is saying something since something crazy seemed to happen every day. 

Now, the Waynes held nothing back. Damian was constantly threatening people with swords (which he did before, but with steak knives), Jason didn’t hide his guns in his room and they were constantly in plain sight in every room, Tim would sit in the living room to hack into places he should be, Dick would constantly make jokes about birds and bats, and even Bruce would say something about patrol or an upcoming drug bust. Alfred was chill as always. 

It was one of those days where Marinette was just sitting in the living room with Jason, who was reading a book, and Dick, who was on his phone. She was trying to find inspiration for a design, but was drawing a blank. She decided to go on her phone and look up different themes to find something to create. She never ended up doing any designing that day though, because she saw a notification that she got an email. The email was informing her that she got a message on instagram. But she hadn’t messaged anybody but-

Adrien. 

Quickly, she opened the app, eager for someone from her old life to acknowledge her. She read the message as quickly as she could. 

“Please respect me and my privacy. It’s not nice to pretend to be someone you’re not. Don’t contact this account again.” 

She had just finished reading it before her vision blurred. Her breathing was suddenly strained as she tried to gain control of her emotions. This shouldn’t be hard, but the message was like a wrecking ball to her rapidly weakening heart. When she first sent the message, she knew that there was a small change Adrien would believe her, but it was crushing to actually read the rejection. 

Marinette put her phone down and put a hand over her mouth, trying to choke back her tears. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to breathe slowly. She flinched as a hand touched her back, rubbing small circles. 

“Hey, hey. Mari? What’s going on?” She heard Dick’s voice ask. 

Mari just shook her head and pointed to her phone, which still had the message up. She covered her face as Dick wrapped her in his arms. She felt a second pair of arms join them. They sat there for a bit while she struggled to compose herself. Ever since coming to the manor, she had been slowly letting down her walls and loosening her grip on what she trained herself to do in Paris and The Temple to allow negative feelings. Now she was regretting that decision. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Jason asked after a few minutes. When she shook her head, he continued. “Do you want to spar?” 

She hesitated, but eventually nodded. It might be good to have a distraction. Dick and Jason got up and headed towards the door slowly, to allow her to compose herself. She wiped her face and jumped up to go join them. Maybe beating up Jason would ease the pain. 

...

Dick ducked as Jason’s left shoe went flying over his head. He looked back at the fight in front of him with an amused grin. When Jason offered to spar, he probably didn’t think it through. He definitely didn’t think through telling Marinette not to hold back. 

The girl was ruthless. 

Dick already knew she was good at fighting and strategy, but she seemed to know more than just basic self-defense training. Especially after her eight years in captivity. Jason should be able to overpower her with no problem, but instead he was being tossed around and beaten up by a young woman who was bending in impossible ways and lifting up her opponent without breaking a sweat. It was both inspiring and terrifying. 

After about the sixth match where Marinette- yet again- had Jason defeated somehow, they decided to call it quits. The girl offered Jason a hand to help him up, and then with zero struggling, she pulled him to his feet. 

“I know I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but I am,” Jason said. “I honestly can find no explanation for how you’re so strong or in shape.” 

Marinette’s grin died a little. “I guess it’s just endurance I built up from you-know-where. Plus all the classes I took before. The gymnastics and trapeze sessions with Dick are also helping. I feel more flexible now.” 

Jason just slowly nodded, not looking convinced. “I guess.” He gained a more thoughtful look. “You’ll have to teach me that flying kick move you did earlier.” 

She laughed. “Sure. I’m not sure you’ll be as good as me, but I can at least teach you the basics.” 

Dick walked over as Jason protested, handing his brother his shoe that went flying. He turned towards Mari. “You ready to go flying?” 

The girl perked back up. “Definitely.” 

...

Alfred had alerted Bruce that Marinette was in the training room with Dick and Jason, so he was heading there when he realized just how engrained in their family the girl was. When she left he wasn’t sure how his boys would react. Even Damian has been acting less murdery than usual. 

It had been a while since the family allowed someone get close to them. 

Marinette was an enigma. 

When he walked into the training room, it was to see two figures on the trapeze while Jason was staring at them from the floor. Bruce walked over to his son. “When did Marinette get so good on the trapeze?” 

Jason shrugged. “Dick taught her some things, but she has way too much fluidity to not have experience. I think something happened in the eight years that she’s not telling us.” 

“There’s a lot she’s not telling us.” 

“True,” he acknowledged. “But I feel like she left something important out. Like being trained or something.” 

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “You think she was taught how to fight? Like in some sort of illegal fighting ring?” 

“Hey. You’re the detective. I’m just stating my own thoughts.” Jason raised his arms in defense. 

During their conversation, Bruce’s eyes never left the two figures jumping and twirling and flipping around on the bars. He thought about what Jason said and compared it to his own suspicions. He didn’t say it out loud, but he also suspected the girl had some form of training. Why her captors would teach her, he didn’t know. But he did know that it was very slim that her fighting skills were from eight years ago with no practice. 

His thoughts continued throughout the figure’s routine. As they jumped around, his brain jumped to conclusions. 

...

Flying with Dick was fantastic. Even though this was far from the first theme they had done it, she still felt the rush of exhilaration from feeling weightless. They had done the routine so many times it was basically muscle memory at this point. 

Unfortunately, the human body can only go so far, and they had to stop, both sweaty and breathing heavily, but also grinning like lunatics. Clapping made them both look over at two men in front of the trapeze. They quickly made their way down to the two. 

“That was very impressive, you two,” Bruce recognized. 

Marinette nodded in gratitude. “Thanks. Flying up there with Dick is amazing.” 

Dick smiled and nudged her. “You’re the one rocking it up there, Mari. I’ve never had so much fun. None of my brothers will join me up there, so it’s a real treat to do something like this again.” 

The conversation continued for a little bit. The boys questioning and complimenting Marinette while Bruce observed her as she answered. Finally he asked a question as the conversation died. 

“Marinette, would you like to join us as a vigilante?” 

For her credit, Mari didn’t act that shocked. She actually looked more amused. “While I would love to fight crime in spandex with a bird name, I’m afraid I’m going to decline.” All three men seemed shocked. 

“What?” Jason started. “You’re not even going to think it through?” 

Marinette gave him a look. “I am thinking it through. I like sparring with you, and yes it would be fun to be a part of a team, but I would be new to the whole vigilante thing, and we don’t even know how long I’m going to be here for.” 

Dick pouted. “But you’re already so good at fighting. And we need more girl power, our three sisters have been away for a few months.” 

Marinette laughed and patted his arm. “It’ll be okay, Dick. Trust me, you’ll get over it.” 

Bruce gave a small smile at the interaction. “I’ll keep the offer open in case you change your mind, but for now we will respect your decision.” 

“Thank you.” Marinette smiled. 

They all left the room, with Dick still trying to change her mind and Jason rolling his eyes at the older boy’s reaction to rejection. 

...

“I think you should do it.” 

Marinette looked up at the red kwami from her sketchbook. “I can’t, Tikki. I’m the guardian of the miraculous. I need to protect you guys from the public eye.” 

“You don’t need to use a miraculous, Pigtails,” Plagg told her. “You can design your own outfit and use those skills you’ve picked up throughout the years. You have experience too, as Ladybug.” 

The other kwami chimed in with their own reasoning. Eventually Marinette shushed them and sat up straighter. “While, yes I could technically go out and fight, it is still dangerous to do so. I could accidentally use my magic or act too experienced. The bats would know something’s up.” 

Tikki batted Marinette’s knee. “Why does it matter if they know? They trust you with their secrets. Don’t you trust them?” 

“Of course I do!” Marinette looked affronted at the silent accusation. “I just don’t want more people than necessary to know I’m the guardian. I especially don’t want more people to know that the miracle box is in the manor. Even if they have no ulterior motives, they would always know, and there are beings out there with the ability to read minds and get information out of people. I’m not going to take any chances.” 

Trixx floated up to her. “Guardian. We know you care about us. And we’re very thankful for that. But keeping us a secret from people you trust might only hurt you in the long run. You need to tell someone. Even if it’s just one person.” 

Marinette sighed. Tikki spoke up while she thought. “Besides. You need an outlet. You also need a team. Joining the bats covers both. It would be nice to get out of the manor and help people, wouldn’t it?” At Marinette’s hesitant nod, she continued. “You’re happiest when you’re flying. Like the trapeze. But unlike the trapeze, if you’re outside you truly have no limitations. You could use a grappling hook or a magic yo-yo to swing from the buildings. I think you should do it, Marinette. It would be good for you.” 

Reluctantly, Marinette actually considered joining the bats. Would it be dangerous? Of course. But does she have the abilities to keep herself safe and hidden from The Order? Yes. 

With this decision, she sighed and nodded her head. “Fine. I will join the bats.” The kwami began to cheer, but she held up a hand to silence them. “But! On the condition that you’ll all help me design my outfit.” 

...

“Okay,” Marinette said at dinner that night. 

With absolutely no context, the others looked suitably confused. 

“Uhh, okay what?” Dick asked. 

Marinette smiled and looked over at Bruce. “I’ve decided to join you after all.” 

Bruce smiled as Dick and Jason cheered. Tim smiled and held up his coffee in a toast to her before taking a big sip of it. Alfred was standing at Bruce’s side, and even he smiled slightly. Only one member at the table was not as happy- 

“What?” Damian seethed. 

The entire group looked over at the youngest boy. The other three boys looked smug as Bruce sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Damian, I asked Marinette if she would like to join us as a member of our team.” 

The boy did not look any less angry. “And you didn’t consult me first? I believe this is a terrible act of betrayal and I hope you feel remorseful.” 

“Damian,” Bruce started. 

“No! You have invited an unknown woman into our circle. You are basically opening us to a stranger. She could ruin us!” 

“Damian.” This time it was Marinette who spoke up. The angry boy looked at her. “I am not here to weaken your team. I am not here to intrude. I just wish to help. I know you don’t know me that well, but I promise I will not betray you or hurt you in any way.” Damian didn’t look as murderous as earlier, but he still wasn’t happy with her. “Besides. If I do anything like that you have my full permission to stab me.” 

Only after the mention of stabbing her, did Damian finally calm down. “Fine,” he bit out. “I don’t like it, but I will not stop it.” He leveled a glare at her. “But I will hurt you if you betray me.” 

Marinette nodded. “Understood.” 

The others were glancing back and forth at the exchange like a tennis match. Jason looked startled, and he leaned over to Dick and stage whispered: “I think that’s the fastest Demon Spawn has ever been calmed down. She’s a miracle.” 

Marinette giggled as the room was filled with playful (at least on one side) arguing between Jason and Damian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news y’all, I finally have an outline for this story! I actually know where it’s going! Yayyyyyy! There’s an end in sight! Bad news is that college just got a whole lot harder. However, I am going to try and update as soon as I can.


	7. Patrol, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette designs her vigilante outfit and joins the bats for patrol.

After knowing the Waynes for weeks, you’d think that Marinette wouldn’t be surprised at their boldness or lack of subtly. 

You’d be wrong. 

This is how Marinette found herself choking on water she just inhaled after Bruce mentioned her mother. 

Jason hit her back as she coughed at the water trying to go down the wrong pipe. After her breathing returned to semi-normal, she turned to Bruce. “What about my mother?” 

“She hasn’t been found yet, but do not worry. The police have informed me that they are getting very close in their search.” Bruce watched her expression, as if waiting for her to cry. 

Mari didn’t give him the reaction he was expecting. “Why is it taking so long?” 

The older man raised an eyebrow. “There are over twenty one million people in Beijing alone. Over one billion in China altogether. We only know your mother went to China because of her plane ticket. After that she vanished. I’m sure the police are doing everything they possibly can.” 

Marinette nodded her head in clear hesitant acceptance, but didn’t move to speak otherwise. Dinner fell into a silence it had probably never experienced before. The Wayne’s were looking at Mari like she was going to break down, while the girl’s thoughts resided elsewhere. 

Her main thoughts were on how her mother could have disappeared. She knew that Bruce gave a reasonable explanation for why her mother wasn’t found, but it had been weeks since the investigation started! She knew that there were a lot of people in the world, but technology was ten times better than eight years ago, and surely some progress should have been made by now. Unless her mother used a different name, she should be traceable, right? 

Her thoughts soon turned to more panicked ones. What if The Order found her mother and took her to hold her a hostage until Mari gave up the Miracle Box? What if her mother had been killed? What if her mother wasn’t even in China and they were looking in the wrong spot? What if-

“Hey.” A hand on her shoulder broke her from spiraling. She looked up from her plate to see Jason staring at her worriedly. Across the table, Dick was quietly arguing with Damian, and Tim was staring into a cup of coffee as if it held all the answers to life. “How are you feeling?” 

A simple question, but after a conversation like that it felt more difficult to answer. One one hand, she was worried that something terrible happened. On the other, was it even a good idea to find her mother? She would be dragging her into this mess and possibly get her involved. What if she didn’t want to be found? Or what if Mari got captured again and her mother had found her, only to lose her again? 

It didn’t seem fair. 

Jason’s hand squeezing her shoulder brought her back to the present. She realized she never answered his question. A question that deserved an honest answer. An honest answer she didn’t like. 

Mari looked Jason in the eye. “Scared.” 

...

Marinette stared at the being in front of her in exasperation. “I can’t just put the symbol on my suit.” 

Tikki giggled at her chosen’s expression. “Marinette, you are the only person who will know what it means. Plus, it would be to honor us, as well as your title. You can even add magic to it if that makes you feel better.” 

The symbol in question was, of course, the design on the Miracle Box (formerly at least). Marinette was trying to design her own vigilante costume, but ended up drawing a blank. Her kwami were helping her out, as promised, but they were all being biased about the look. 

Plagg wanted her to wear cat ears. Sass thought light blue would be a good color scheme, while Pollen thought yellow would be best. Kaalki wanted her to wear a diamond necklace. Trixx wanted her to steal a diamond necklace and wear it. 

Tikki wanted her to have the guardian symbol right in the middle of her chest. 

“Tikki, I would love to honor you, but having the symbol in plain sight would be a huge red flag for The Order and they would know right away where I am. I can’t just put myself out there like that. My number one job is to keep you guys safe.” Mari was gripping her pencil tightly in one hand as the other waved around in the air. The Kwami seemed unimpressed. 

Plagg flew up to her. “Pigtails, you have magic. You can keep the old rags from finding you. The symbol would only be seen by people who see it in person.” 

Mari tilted her head in consideration, but still didn’t agree. Tikki kept trying. “I understand your concern, Marinette, but just think! This would be a fantastic way to let your old friends know you’re okay! If you kept the design close to your old ladybug outfit, plus adding the symbol to show you’re the real deal, then Adrien and the others might believe you’re alive!” 

The girl’s eyes teared up at the mention of her old friends. She nodded slowly. “You’re right, Tikki. I can put a glamor on the symbol so that it can’t be photographed or video taped, and if anyone sees it in person, they wont know what it means unless they had a miraculous previously and saw the design on the boxes the miraculi come in. The problem would be that my friends would have to be in Gotham to see me, which is unlikely.” 

Tikki shook her tiny head. “Not if they come to Gotham seeking out someone who looks like the old Ladybug.” 

Mari’s eyes lit up. “Tikki, you’re a genius!” And with that, the girl shot back to work, the Kwami settling down around her to watch their guardian work. 

... 

A whistle broke the silence of the batcave. “Dang Mari.” 

The girl grinned and spun in a circle to show off her newly sewn outfit. “Thanks Jason!” 

“How’d you make it so fast?” 

Marinette fiddled with her fingers. “I guess you could say that I have a bit of a creative side. A little luck never hurts, either.” She pointed to her costume. “The material is the same as yours, but I decided to make sort of my own theme. It’s inspired after one of our heroes in Paris, but with a more modern twist.” 

The costume in question was similar to the old ladybug costume, but at the same time it was completely different. For starters, it was a darker shade of red to blend into the shadows easier. It also had black gloves that went past the elbows, and black boots that went past the knees. In the center of her chest was a black dot with the miracle box symbol on it. There were also two black dots on her shoulders, and one on each side of her stomach. Above the black boots there was three black dots, each decreasing in size as they go up. Instead of a red mask with black spots, she had a black mask that covered her nose and mouth. 

In addition to her new look, she had a weapon that was familiar. 

“Is that a yo-yo?” 

She looked at Damian, who had spoken with an accusatory look of both disgust and disrespect. “Yes,” she answered honestly, pulling down her mask to talk to the other unmasked heroes. Her weapon was magically summoned (with some light bullying from the kwami) just that morning after she came to the realization she needed more than just her luck to go out into Gotham. 

Damian scoffed, earning a shove from Dick. “Be nice, Little D.” 

Mari laughed quietly. “It’s okay, Dick. My weapon is a bit... unique. I can give you a demonstration if you’d like.” 

Dick motioned for her to go ahead, so she looked around the room to see the best places to latch on and swing from. Faster than he could react to it, she had swung forward and scooped up Damian by his waist, having her yo-yo bring her up to a few feet above the ground. 

Damian swore. “Put me down, you simpleton!” 

Mari just rolled her eyes and gently lowered them both down. The second his feet touched the floor, Damian stomped away from her. Jason and Dick were watching this entire event with giant grins, while Tim smirked. Damian, of course, had a scowl that seemed permanent whenever he was in the presence of Marinette. 

“Okay, so you can swing from it, but can you use it as a weapon?” Both Dick and Tim ran at her, one with escrima sticks, and the other with a staff respectively. 

With Tikki’s luck to thank, she had experience fighting against and with these weapons. Her time with Chat Noir plus her time “training” with The Order gave her knowledge she wouldn’t have otherwise. Therefore, she was able to dodge Dick’s swipe from above, as well as Tim’s from below. She dodged, lept, flipped, and tripped the two up, but never threw any punches or kicks of her own. She relied solely on her yo-yo to throw both men off balance and eventually tie them together. 

Jason cheered her on and mockingly cheered at Jason and Tim’s defeat as she recalled her yo-yo. 

“Alright. I’ll admit. That’s pretty cool,” Tim begrudgingly agreed. “How does it work?” 

Marinette allowed herself two seconds of panic before faking a shrug and responding. “We live in a world where there are people with powers. I’m not saying I have any, but physics is fake and time is an illusion. My yo-yo is special.” 

Tim looked appalled, but Dick just nodded along as if that made perfect sense. “Of course. Reality is a fantasy and we’re all hallucinations of one higher being.” 

Jason snorted. “You two make quite the pair. I think Timmy is about to combust.” 

Tim, in fact, did look like he would rather be literally anywhere else than next to people who were making him question everything he thought he knew. He shook his head slowly. “I am not nearly awake enough for this.” Mari patted him on the back in sympathy. 

The five bantered for a bit longer until Dick asked the big question. “So Mari. We can’t call you by your name in the field or Bruce will have an aneurism. What do you want to be called?” 

Mari was glad that the kwami made her do some research and planning ahead of time. “Epthianura. Thia for short.” 

Tim raised an eyebrow. “That’s an interesting choice. Are you talking about the Crimson Chat? Because that has the same color scheme as you do.” 

Marinette smiled and nodded. “While my outfit is a nod to the old Ladybug, I didn’t want to steal her thunder. Adding the fact that I am hanging with your group, and you are all bird themed. Mostly.” 

Jason snorted. “What kind of name is Epthianura? What a mouthful.” 

“Hey, at least I stuck with the bird theme. Jason, you’re literally just ‘Red Hood.’ How is that sticking to any theme?” She said in defense. “And I shortened the name so you didn’t have to say the entire thing. Unless you somehow missed that part.” 

Jason just crossed his arms and looked away. “I don’t have to answer to you.” 

Mari raised an eyebrow, but looked away before a fight (verbal or otherwise) started. 

Before any more questions could be asked, a dark figure walked into the cave. “Masks on, everyone. It’s time to start patrol.” 

...

It was one thing to fly through the air on the trapeze. A whole new thing to be flying through the air in Gotham. 

Red Robin and Nightwing watched in awe as the girl flew through the air like she was born to. Epthianura did strange twists and flips while swinging around on her yo-yo. Some things she did seemed impossible, like running completely horizontally on a building. Other things seemed tiring, like how she spent five whole minutes grappling between buildings on her yo-yo without landing on her feet once. 

And yet the new vigilante never took a break. The bats could hardly keep up with her, she was going so fast. 

“It’s like she’s done this before,” Red Robin noted. 

Nightwing nodded in wonder. “She seems too used to this. Who _is_ this girl?” 

“No time to talk about it.” Batman cut in on the comms. “Robbery at the corner of thirty-fourth street.” 

“We’re closest, we’ve got it,” Red Robin responded. 

Since they were teamed together for the night, RR, Nightwing, and Epthianura headed towards the location together. Thia got there first, and landed on the building across the street from the convenience store. Once the two bats arrived, they started planning. 

“From what I can see, there’s at least two guys in there,” Epthianura reported. “Both armed with guns.” 

Nightwing nodded. “Great. Red Robin, anyone else?” 

“There’s a third guy in the back room. Also armed. The only hostage is the cashier, who is hiding behind the table. He must have been the one who notified the police.” The younger boy had hacked into the security cameras in the convenience store. 

“Okay.” Nightwing turned to look at the store and then looked down at his feet as if imagining the plan. “Seems pretty simple. Red Robin, you cut the power in the store on my signal. Thia, you get the cashier out. I’ll deal with the robbers.” He looked away to look at his team mates, but both of them had disappeared. “Wait, guys?” 

He had barely looked away for a few seconds before he heard his name being called from the street. He looked down and his eyes widened. 

On the street was both of his teammates, both standing behind the three no-longer-conscious robbers, who were tied up with zip ties. One of the robbers was covered in a white powder. The shaken up cashier was next to Epthianura, who had a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. 

Numbly, the older bat made his way down. “How did- I looked away for- I can’t believe.” 

Epthianura lightly chuckled. “I think we broke him.” She elbowed RR in the side, and he nudged back. 

“That’s because that’s the fastest we’ve ever dealt with a robbery. Usually it involves more time and planning.” 

Nightwing’s mouth was still open. He quickly closed it when blue and red lights lit up the street, and sirens echoed off the buildings. The police pulled up and arrested the robbers, and Red Robin gave a quick statement while Epthianura tugged Nightwing to a nearby roof. 

“What... was that,” the still shocked man asked. 

Thia smiled and patted his shoulder. “Sorry if we disobeyed orders. While you were planning, Red and I decided to cut the lights and take out the men as fast as possible. The cashier was already well hidden, so he wouldn’t have gotten hit by any stray bullets if they were fired. I spotted a bag of flour in one of the isles, and threw it at one of the guys to blind him while I took out another guy, and Red Robin took out the last one. We thought it was best to just get it over with instead of giving the robbers more time to plan their escape.” 

Nightwing shook his head slightly, still shocked. “Wow. Thats, umm, very impressive. Using flour as a distraction and a weapon. Good job, I never would have thought of that.” 

Epthianura shrugged. “I’m crafty.” 

Red Robin swung up to them on his grappling hook. “Everything good? Let’s keep patrolling.” And then he headed off as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, Thia close behind him. 

Nightwing rubbed his eyes with his hands. “Yeah, sure. Nothing unusual to see here,” he mumbled under his breath before following the two crazy vigilantes. 

...

It had been about an hour since the quickest robbery skirmish that something new happened. 

“All hands on deck. Robbery at the bank on twenty-first street. Multiple hostages,” Batman said through the comms. 

In under five minutes, all the bats had joined up on yet another roof. 

“How many civilians?” Red Hood asked. 

Batman looked over at the bank. “Fifteen. And two of them are children.” 

Nightwing stepped forward. “Robbers?” 

“Seven in the front. Three in the back. There’s one guarding the front door and two at the back entrance. Nightwing, I need you to come with me and try and negotiate. Red Robin, get into the security feed. The rest of you stay alert.” 

Epthianura scanned the building as everyone got in place. The easiest point of entry was obviously the front, but there was one guard at the door, and all the hostages were in the front to act as human shields. The roof would be another good entry point, but crashing through the skylights could injure the civilians, and spook the robbers into shooting. The back exit might be the best bet, but there were apparently two guards there, and trying to attack them could lead to them alerting the other men inside. 

She was still looking around when Batman and Nightwing returned. She barely listened to their conversation with the others. 

“They want two million in cash and an escape vehicle in two hours. For every half an hour they said they were going to shoot a civilian.” 

“We have to break this up before they can do that. There’s no way the police will get two million dollars in two hours.”

“That’s it!” The loud exclamation broke up the boy’s conversation. They all faced Thia, who was now determinedly smiling. “I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house we use problem solving and brute force :)

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to read the post that inspired this:
> 
> https://jinx-jade.tumblr.com/post/641498259733495808/angel-with-blue-eyes


End file.
